float 1 of 2

1
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

float

2 of 2

noun

as in dock
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the crew put the cargo on the float before heading back down the river

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of float
Verb
The region is home to many of the biggest artists in Texas music, and the same Guadalupe River is celebrated in dozens of Texas songs as a place to drink beer, float, and escape into nature. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2025 Saed, a 27-year-old Gaza Palestinian, woke up troubled to the news that Trump and Netanyahu, whose military has flattened much of Gaza, were again floating the displacement idea. Hussam Al-Masri, USA Today, 9 July 2025
Noun
This superb take on the classic Trader Vic’s mai tai recipe uses three types of rum, housemade orgeat and a dark rum float. Katie Sweeney, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 Memories of Ruth’s past float in and out of her present-tense existence. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for float
Recent Examples of Synonyms for float
Verb
  • Gas prices are hovering near their lowest summer level in four years as millions of people ready themselves to hit the roads over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 July 2025
  • When the first pitch of the Texas baseball team's home opener is thrown around 1 p.m. on Friday, temperatures in the Austin area will be hovering around 35 degrees.
    Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Verb
  • Such broad, open spaces were essential to the origins of the giant sloths, and so creating wide-open spaces helps spur the evolution of giants to roam such environments.
    Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025
  • Norway is home to an embarrassment of perspective-altering landscapes—craggy mountains, beautiful fjords, and dramatic coastlines—making roaming outdoors all the more rewarding.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • Pier Sixty-Six, Fort Lauderdale: One of the finest examples of the futuristic postwar style known as Googie, this marina-front hotel debuted in 1965 on the site of the Phillips 66 Petroleum fuel dock that gave it its name.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 14 July 2025
  • On May 25, a kitchen supervisor allegedly left Hardin, 56, alone on a loading dock.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • Boaters can set out from the property and sail into Vineyard Harbor and the open waters beyond.
    Mary Forgione, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • But that ship had sailed, was sinking, and had the Heat’s season taking on water.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Read a book, breathe deeply or just let your mind wander.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025
  • The shelter added that Captain ended up at Bentonville after a woman found the dog wandering near a road while traveling in Missouri.
    Moná Thomas, People.com, 5 July 2025
Noun
  • Three workers inspecting the wharf fell into the choppy ocean waves as the end of the wharf broke in two.
    Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024
  • At the ferry wharf the road splits three ways: the left road takes me to the eastern part of the town, known as Hollett’s Cove; straight ahead is the highway to Eastport, the nearest town of any size, paved only a few years before.
    Robert Finch June 18, Literary Hub, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • In 2023, a Travis County resident died from an amoeba after swimming in Lake LBJ.
    Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 11 July 2025
  • Stagnation also causes the water to become unhealthy for the visitors who swim in the pools and draws mosquitoes to the area.
    Ruby Grisin, The Courier-Journal, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, much of the Upper Midwest on Saturday was dealing with swaths of unhealthy air because of drifting smoke from Canadian wildfire.
    CBS News, CBS News, 12 July 2025
  • But while Carreras had much of the left flank to himself at Benfica, things will be more congested at Madrid, with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe often drifting over to that side in search of the ball.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Float.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/float. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on float

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!